Development News

Legume combines intimate dining and upscale fare in Regent Square

Legume, located at 1113 S. Braddock Ave., brings French and Italian country cooking to Regent Square. The 1,000 square-foot B.Y.O.B. bistro seats 30 people for upscale fare within an informal setting.

After cooking in California for five years, Chef Trevett Hooper and his wife Sarah returned to Pittsburgh to launch Legume. The East Enders love running a restaurant near a movie theater, coffee shop and like-minded businesses. “We wanted to be in a pedestrian friendly area with lots of independent businesses. The community is very active in keeping it like that. It’s four diverse communities coming together,” says Sarah Hooper, who hopes to draw patrons from Edgewood, Swissvale and Wilkinsburg. “We were able to find enough investors--it all came together quickly.”

Working with Joy Robison, the Hoopers oversaw a complete renovation of the space. The brown and orange bistro features tile floors, tin ceilings and 19th-century lithographs. For illumination, the Hoopers turned to Construction Junction, where they found vintage schoolhouse lighting. “It has the feel of an intimate European bistro,” says Hooper, a Pittsburgh native who works for the Rand Corporation.

Legume’s menu changes daily. “We have repeat customers and we’ve only been open for two weeks,” adds Hooper, who says the crispy duck confit is popular. Local ingredients come from East End Food Co-op and Mildred’s Daughters Farms. To minimize their use of plastic, the Hoopers work with Pittsburgh Seltzer Works. “As first time business owners, we want to be as positive an influence as possible.”